Ask Dr Mel: Candle fumes and nerve pain

Every week we bring you expert advice from Woman's Weekly health expert Dr Melanie Wynee-Jones. Mel is a GP with 26 years' experience and is the senior partner in a busy surgery in Stockport. This week she answers your questions about candle fumes and nerve pain.

Q. I was alarmed by reports that scented candles can be harmful. Should I stop using them?

A. Many chemicals produce harmful fumes when burned - just think what coal fires used to do the atmosphere before smokeless fuel was developed! Candles made from paraffin do produce small amounts of petrochemicals that can irritate our air passages and lungs, and inhaling lots of these may increase our risk of lung cancer.

But many other household chemicals, especially those that make us cough, or make our eyes and noses run, have also been linked to cancer of the lung and gullet and, of course, smoking (including passive smoking) is probably the biggest danger of all.

The usual (and sensible) advice is to use chemicals only in well-ventilated areas, so that we don't breathe in or swallow tiny particles from the air. But we light scented candles to create "atmosphere", so there doesn't seem much point if it all goes straight out of the window.

The American scientists who analysed scented candle fumes didn't say we should stop using them altogether, although they said that beeswax and soya candles are less toxic.

So I'll use them occasionally, but try to keep fresh air flowing through the room.

Q. Why has my GP given me antidepressants for my nerve pain - does she think it's all in my mind?

A. No, I'm sure she doesn't, although your nerves are actually the problem! Normally, our nerve endings use pain to tell us when part of the body is in trouble. But neuropathic (nerve) pain means the nerves themselves are damaged, so they send back faulty signals, called neuralgia.

A good example is sciatica, which causes pain down the leg, but is actually due to the sciatic nerve getting squashed in the lower back. Injuries, surgical procedures and shingles can all damage nerves temporarily or permanently, but some neuralgias, such as trigeminal (facial) neuralgia, can start for no obvious reason.

Ordinary painkillers often help, but drugs that alter the way pain signals cross the nerve can often be more effective in neuropathic pain. Antidepressants and drugs used in epilepsy, such as amitriptyline, carbamazepine, gabapentin and pregabalin can do this; they're used in small doses to start with and it may take several weeks to get the full effect. Capsaicin cream, derived from pepper, can help, too, and there's a lot of research into new treatments - for example, Taiwanese scientists have obtained promising results from a chemical found in coral.

Note: Advice given here is for general information only and is correct on date of publication 6th October 2009 but may be subject to change. Please seek help from your own GP if you have a medical problem.
Advice given here is for general information only and is correct on date of publication. Please seek help from your own GP if you have a medical problem.

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